Organized by the University's Center for Alternatives to Animal
Testing (CAAT) with support from the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), the United States Environmental Protection Agency and
several private organizations, the workshop brought together
leaders in the field of cell and molecular mechanisms to discuss
future alternatives to developmental neurotoxicity testing (DNT).
The conference's TestSmart program was designed to look for new
approaches to meet the demands for identifying neurotoxic agents
with speed, reliability, reduced cost and respect for animal
welfare.

CAAT introduced its first TestSmart program in 1999, and
organizers today continue to focus on improved efficiency and cost
in neurotoxicity testing while identifying opportunities for
reducing or replacing the use of animals in DNT.

"The need for such testing is growing as scientists recognize
that exposure of fetuses and children to certain chemicals in the
environment may harm the development of the nervous system, causing
life-long learning and behavioral deficits," said
Tiffany-Castiglioni. "There are 70,000 chemicals used commercially
and only a very small fraction has been adequately assessed for
neurotoxicity."

DNT, which is a major issue in children's health worldwide, has
caused concerns among several organizations such as children's
health and environmental health advocacy groups and animal rights
advocates. According to CAAT, "Current methods for DNT testing are
complex and expensive in terms of scientific resources, time and
animal use." The goal of the organizations involved was to develop
"scientifically rigorous and humane alternative approaches to DNT
that utilize in silico, in vitro and alternative animal
models."

Tiffany-Castiglioni, head of the Department of Veterinary
Integrative Biosciences at the college, presented a 45-minute
plenary lecture that gave a broad overview of the use of in vitro
systems, such as cell cultures, for the study of developmental
neurotoxicity. Her presentation served as an introduction to
several group discussions concerning model systems in vitro,
endpoints for assessment of developmental neurotoxicity and
high-throughput and "omic" approaches, the latter involving the
screening of large panels of genes or proteins for toxic effects.
Tiffany-Castiglioni is editor and co-author of a book released in
2004 by Humana Press entitled In Vitro Neurotoxicology: Principles
and Challenges.